Just Coming Of Age
by JDPhoenix
Summary: Nearly four years after Chad was forced to leave U of A, circumstances bring the wildcats back into his life and one of them is determined to find out what happened.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I in any way associated with, HSM.

AN: Merry Christmas, angellwings! This is your present! I hope you enjoy.

AN2: I hope everyone else enjoys the story too. Despite the previous author's note this has nothing to do with Christmas (though I am determined to get it all posted by then). Also, the title comes from a line in Chuck Wicks' song "Man of the House."

**Just Coming Of Age**

Chapter 1

Troy tossed the cell phone onto his gym bag and fell back on his bed, cradling his head in his hands. It made sense, he supposed. Even before prom Chad had been getting more and more defensive about Taylor, about their inevitable separation at the end of the summer. So it stood to reason that when Troy moved over a thousand miles away, just like Chad had always known Taylor would, their solid friendship would be severed. He moaned, wrapping the yellow pillow around his head to block out the sound of the victory party.

It was Troy's sophomore year and Cal had just played a game against U of A. But Chad hadn't been there. Last year the two had faced off, their friendly rivalry making the game even more enjoyable than it had been when they were on the same team. But now … what had happened to him? Was he injured? Did he transfer? Give up basketball entirely? The last two didn't sound like the Chad Troy knew and he didn't even want to consider the first for long.

He had called Chad's number, only to be greeted again and again by that same computerized voice saying, "You have reached 505 7--" He couldn't think of anyone else to call. Everyone Chad was close to had left Albuquerque, save for Sharpay who Troy highly doubted Chad spoke to. He had a mental image of Sharpay walking down the hall at U of A and Chad ducking into the nearest restroom to hide and, of course, it was a girl's restroom.

Troy chuckled before returning to his problem. His dad would probably know, Chad was like a second son to the Boltons, just as Troy was a second son to the Danforths. But calling his father would require admitting that his friendship with Chad was suffering. Troy couldn't even remember the last time they had e-mailed, let alone spoken to each other. They'd seen each other at Easter of course, but Troy's decision to take summer classes had cost him the weeks at home they would have spent practicing and generally hanging.

There was a knock on the door, and Troy sat up just as his roommate's head appeared.

"Bolton! You gotta get out here!"

Troy rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the bed. He would call Chad again tomorrow. Everything always seemed better in the morning.

* * *

_Three years later…_

The morning light through the shutters woke Chad up. Three years ago he would have wondered when his room got shutters, but falling asleep on the couch had quickly become the norm and the shutters were more familiar now than his red and white curtains. So much so that he was beginning to consider selling his bed altogether.

A shadow fell across him and he frowned, knowing what was coming.

"Morning, Mom," he said, pushing himself up.

"When did you get in?" she asked. Her hands were on her hips and she wore the same expression she had when he was five and stole all the chocolate chip cookies.

He winced, thinking back. "Um, midnight, I think."

"Try two in the morning, mister. I don't like this. You can't keep staying out so late, it isn't good for you."

"I'm young," he said, standing and feeling anything but, "I don't need as much sleep as you do. What time is it?"

"Oh no!" she cried, grabbing his arm and steering him into the dining room. "You are not going back out until you eat a real breakfast."

"Mom," he started.

"No," she snapped, pushing him down into a chair. He gave up, watching as she scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and fried bacon.

"How is he?" he asked when she was arranging everything on three plates.

Her shoulders sagged. "I think today's going to be a bad day." She forced a sad smile as she placed his plate before him along with knife and fork. "He had a lot of trouble getting into the bathroom this morning."

"Doesn't he have an appointment at that new chiropractor's today?"

She nodded. "Let's hope he's better than the last guy." She sighed, her gaze wandering down the hall to the master bedroom. Chad was just opening his mouth to say something when she grabbed up the other two plates. "I think we'll eat in bed today, give him more time to get going."

"Mom," Chad said, frowning. They both knew he needed to be forced up or he wouldn't get up at all.

"I know, I know. Just today, okay?"

He saw the tired look in her eyes and nodded. "Okay, whatever you say, Mom."

She kissed him on the forehead as she left. "Leave the plate out when you're done. I want to see it empty before it soaks."

He rolled his eyes and dug in. If he was going to make it to work on time he needed to eat fast.

* * *

The old theater was coming along nicely. It had been built in the forties and fell into disarray in the eighties. For the last two decades it had been a favorite hangout for addicts and the homeless. But the façade was untouched. Sweeping arches that looked like they belonged on a cathedral sheltered the ticket area and the three sets of double doors leading into the foyer. Red brick walls flew into the sky where, on his first visit to the site, Chad had sworn he saw a gargoyle.

He stood in one of the aisles inside, noting the progress that had been made over the past months. The rotting stage and rodent infested seats had all needed replacing, the floors redoing, the curtains were gone entirely, and the walls had severe water damage from the leaking roof. But that work was mostly done. The seats had come last week, the curtains were coming Friday, giving his men plenty of time to finish the stage before they went up.

A sigh behind Chad drew his attention to the doors.

"The lights are all up," he said, turning back to the stage where men were busy working to rebuild. "I don't want to check the sound system until the stage is finished though, it'll just mess up the harmonics if we do it now."

She stepped next to him, her expression one of pure joy. "It's incredible," she sighed.

"You said that same thing the day you brought me here, telling me you'd bought a crappy old theater and wanted me to fix it up for you."

Sharpay turned sharply. "It is _not_ crappy."

"Well, _now_ --"

"And you never were," she added, patting one of the padded seats as if it were Boi's head. "The Regal has always been beautiful. It just needed love."

Chad rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here, anyway? You promised me you wouldn't come in here distracting my guys anymore." Granted, an unseasonable spring chill had her wearing a long jacket, but there was always the possibility that she'd take it off to reveal something more, well, revealing.

"I know but my business partner wants to come see the progress." She sauntered up the aisle.

"What?" Chad demanded, his voice echoing through the theater and shocking the workers. Chad frowned and waved a hand, signaling them to keep working. He stalked after Sharpay, who had taken a center seat ten rows back.

"You tested every seat, right?" she asked when he approached.

"Yes," he sighed, dropping into one and leaving a seat between them. "But what is this about a business partner? I've been working here for months and never heard you mention him."

"Her," Sharpay corrected. "And you never asked."

"I assumed, being the spoiled, rich girl you are, that you could buy this on your own … or your father could."

"I could have," she said, sighing in a way that told him she was seeing the theater as it would be, filled to the rafters and with a spectacular cast on the stage. "But it wasn't my idea to buy this place …."

"Then who --?"

"It was mine, Mr. Danforth."

Chad's head whipped around so fast his hair smacked him in the face. "Ms. D?" he gaped.

Ms. Darbus smiled kindly and stepped past him to take the seat between her two former students. "I have been dreaming of buying this place for years. I used to perform here, you know, before Broadway called my name."

Chad looked between Sharpay and Ms. Darbus in confusion.

"When she told me about it," Sharpay said, "I fell in love. I insisted she let me help her."

"And since I have no children, I decided it was important to know the theater would be going to someone I trusted. Plus, knowing I own slightly more than half of this place will stop _someone_ from going through with all her foolish little fantasies."

Sharpay smiled. She had grown since high school. She was still spoiled, still craved the spotlight, but recognized that she didn't always deserve it or do it justice. She had learned to seek out parts she was more suited too, rather than assuming she was perfect for every lead. But she was still prone to going overboard and Ms. Darbus frequently had to rein her in during practice at East High.

"How could you afford that?" Chad asked, not caring that it was impolite to ask about finances.

Ms. Darbus turned to him with a laughing smile. "Did you think I went into teaching for the money? My dear, late husband was quite wealthy, left me everything."

"There was a _Mister_ D?" Chad asked, shock making his eyes wide and his jaw loose.

Sharpay stretched her legs out beneath the next row of seats and her arms high in the air. Her hands were fisted, save for two fingers on her right hand, which she held up meaningfully.

"Yes, Mr. Danforth, there was," Ms. Darbus said. "And Sharpay is right as well, I was married twice."

Sharpay quickly dropped the pretense of stretching. As she did her cell phone buzzed and she silently excused herself, ignoring Darbus's look of reproval.

"I maintained my maiden name through each marriage though, since I was most famous as Renee Darbus."

Chad shook his head, the idea of his odd high school drama teacher bagging not one, but two husbands making his head spin. "Anyway," he said, "how do you like the place?"

"It's magnificent." She laid a hand on Chad's arm, meeting his eyes. "You've done a fantastic job, Mr. Danforth, and I don't just mean the theater."

Chad's eyes dropped to floor. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. I cannot think of many young men who would have so willingly given up their dreams, and even fewer who would have done it with as little help as you did."

Chad scowled. "Sharpay told you."

"And Coach Bolton, and even then I had to somehow get them both together in the same room and force them to tell me. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you … or how disappointed."

"What?"

"You stepped up. You were presented with a crisis that should have turned your entire world upside-down, and you took it in stride. The way I hear it you didn't even pause. You knew exactly what you needed to do and you did it and I could not be more proud of you for that. But you could have had help. You and I both know that any one of your friends would have been on the first plane back here if they had known. How you got Coach Bolton to keep it from Troy I will never know."

"But that's just the point. This was _my_ problem and if they were here it would be _our_ problem. They had futures to get to, I couldn't let them pass up on that. And anyway," he added, a hint of petulance sneaking into his voice, "Sharpay was here."

"We both know Sharpay can be a very sweet girl when she wants to be, but she was never one of your closest friends. The two of you just happened to inhabit the same sphere. Now," she patted his arm, "it's over and done and you are very well situated in your life. But you know you cannot keep this from them forever. Eventually Troy Bolton will return to Albuquerque, as will all the others, and I highly doubt you will be able to procure their silence as easily as you did Ms. Evans'. Just something to think about."

Chad frowned as she stood and stepped past him to leave. "I graduated more than four years ago, weren't you supposed to stop teaching me then?"

"Asking a teacher to stop imparting wisdom is like asking an actor to stop monologue-ing. And I am both."

* * *

"She's right, you know," Sharpay said, spinning the ice cubes in her glass with her straw.

Chad sighed and let his head fall back against the cushioned booth seat. "I so do not want to have this conversation again." They were having their weekly lunch, which she had conned him into by promising never to wear a miniskirt and stilettos within a hundred yards of the construction crew after the first time resulted in three hours of extra work. They had already eaten but were hanging around on the pretense of considering dessert.

"But--"

"No. Okay? No, Sharpay. Four years. For nearly four years you and mom and Coach Bolton and even some of my employees have been coming to me, telling me the same thing Darbus told me today."

Sharpay cut him off. "People have been telling you that Ms. Darbus used to be married?"

He glowered at her, but without any real anger.

"See?" she said with a smile. "I can do comedy."

"Like I was saying, I expected the lectures in the beginning. But not anymore. I've been doing this for more than three years, Shar, and I'm doing a damn good job. I shouldn't have to defend myself to Darbus or you or anybody."

She glared at him and he was suddenly reminded of the Sharpay he used to know: drama club dictator and spoiled princess of Lava Springs. "The others would want to know. They're your friends, Chad. Did you know that I still talk to Gabriella? Not a lot," she added at his shocked expression, "just sometimes when one of us remembers that we were sort of friends. She's mentioned you a couple times -- in passing when she's talking about Troy. And Zeke and Ryan and Kelsi … they all miss you."

Chad focused on his soda. "What do you tell them?"

"Nothing, they never ask about you -- we weren't exactly joined at the hip in high school, you know -- they just mention that they miss you and that no one seems to know what you're up to."

Chad frowned. There was one name conspicuously absent from Sharpay's list but he wasn't about to ask.

"I'll tell them at the reunion in five years," he offered with a smile.

Sharpay's angry expression never faltered. "It's not right that you're asking Coach Bolton to lie to his son. Troy's going to come home eventually and he'll be angry that you didn't tell him."

Chad sighed. "Do you know what your first play will be yet?" he asked abruptly.

She took the hint and said, "Shakespeare, a modern interpretation."

"Does that mean it's people in jeans and t-shirts talking in iambic pentameter?"

"No, I want people to actually understand what they're saying."

"Thank God," Chad muttered.

"It's _Much Ado About Nothing_, one of my old classmates reworked it to fit in post World War II America."

"Is it a musical?"

"Of course. Not as good as one of Kelsi's, but still worthy."

"Sounds like fun."

"It is. We've been doing auditions at one of daddy's offices for the past few weeks. I think we've got a really stellar cast."

"You'll be able to practice on stage by the end of the month."

"We'd better. Opening night is six weeks away. I expect you to build sets."

"Six weeks?" Chad demanded.

"Well, we need the extra time for you to finish and to make sure that everyone can work well together, that there was no fluke during auditions and Hero should be playing Beatrice."

"You know I have no idea who those people are, right?"

"I know."

"And I'm not building the sets."

"Of course you are. You expect me to trust someone else with this job?"

"And I'm not acting."

"Well duh. I don't have time to direct a whole musical _and_ deal with your moodiness."

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

**Just Coming Of Age**

Chapter 2

Chad came home early that night. He was too anxious to hear about the chiropractor to concentrate on his work very long.

"How did it go?" he asked the second he was through the door.

His mother looked up from her book and smiled. "Wonderful." She waited for him to take the seat next to her on the couch before elaborating. "He was so much better after this guy worked on him. He didn't even need my help getting in the car."

"Wow," Chad said, smiling.

"I know. The problem is, he doesn't want your father riding in a car at all."

"It messes with his equilibrium," Chad said with a nod. "That's what the neurologist said when it first happened."

Mrs. Danforth sighed happily. "The chiropractor wants to come to the house next time. He says that will be better for your father."

Chad smiled. "This is great. How's he feeling now?"

"He's asleep. We took a walk through the park afterward … without the wheelchair," she added.

Chad pulled her into a hug. After a moment she pushed him away.

"Now, I don't want you getting your hopes up. Even if this works he still won't be --"

"I know. But if he could just go a whole day without being dizzy, without having to stop because it hurts so badly … it would make a big difference."

She nodded, quickly making her way into the kitchen so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. "I saved you some dinner. I figured you'd be home early." She pulled a plate wrapped in aluminum foil from the oven. "Meat and potatoes for my little carnivore," she said as she set his place at the table.

"Thanks," he said, coming into the kitchen and giving her a peck on the cheek.

As he cracked open his potato she loaded the dishwasher. "How was your day?"

"Interesting," he said around a mouthful of beef. "I found out Ms. Darbus actually owns most of the Regal."

"Your old drama teacher?"

"Yeah, Sharpay's been helping her out at the school ever since we graduated. I guess they wanted to go in on the theater together."

Mrs. Danforth mulled that over for several moments. "And today was your lunch with Sharpay?"

Chad made a sound of affirmation and his mother said no more on the subject. She had made the mistake once of saying that it sounded like Sharpay had become "a very sweet girl," hopeful that Chad's relationship with her was a sign that he was opening up a bit more. Chad hadn't mentioned Sharpay again for nearly three weeks.

"So how soon until you're done with this project?" she asked.

"The end of the month, but I think Sharpay's going to rope me into making her sets."

Mrs. Danforth was very glad that her back was to her son so he couldn't see her laughing smile. She quickly changed the subject to the Teller twins down the street and their new obsession with extreme sports.

* * *

"Jimmie?" Chad said, wondering if that strange feeling in his extremities was what a stroke felt like.

"Oh," Jimmie Zara said, jogging down one of the theater's aisles, "dude! Long time no see!"

He slapped Chad's shoulder, forcing Chad to come quickly to his senses or risk falling over. Chad's eyes slowly traveled from the slightly askew beret on Jimmy's head, to his Redhawks' sweatshirt, to the mismatched socks on his feet.

"What?" Chad asked, unable to form a more complicated sentence.

"Oh, Sharpay won't let us wear our shoes on the stage yet. Something about not wanting to ruin the beauty of it …. If you ask me," he added conspiratorially, "she's even crazier than she was in high school. But what are you doing here, man? I didn't think you were all that into the theater."

Chad leaned to the side to look around Jimmie to Sharpay's seat on the edge of the stage. One of her legs was hanging over the side into the pit and Boi was curled up in the curve of her other ankle. She caught his eye and shrugged before turning her attention to the performers on the stage. Chad sighed and looked at Jimmie once more.

"What are you doing here?" he asked slowly.

"I'm in the show! I'm playing Dogberry. Isn't that great?"

"You? You're in the show?"

"Well, Tiara got me really into drama."

Chad took an involuntary step back. "Tiara … and you?" he asked, not quite managing to keep the revulsion out of his voice.

"Yeah," Jimmie said dreamily. "She went off to L.A. after high school though, so we broke it off. Long distance thing, you know."

Chad nodded, he did know. "But you're … in the play?"

"I really like it," Jimmie said, as if still surprised by that fact himself.

There was a bark from the stage. Boi and Sharpay were looking at them expectantly.

"Oh," Jimmie said, "guess I'm on."

As Jimmie raced up to the stage Chad followed at a more leisurely pace. Jimmie began going through an elaborate comedic routine composed mostly of tripping over his own two feet. Chad leaned against the wall behind Sharpay. "If he pees on the carpet …," he warned her.

She bent her head back to look at him upside-down. "I hope you mean Boi."

Chad dared a glance at Jimmie. "Me too." After a moment he asked, "Is he really good?"

"Not as good as you," Sharpay teased, "but he's very good at the comedy. Perfect for Dogberry."

"Well, at least he's found his calling. What did you need?"

"There's a leak in the bathroom."

"That's what plumbers are for."

"But I can't mock plumbers mercilessly. Plus I wanted to see your face when you found out Jimmie was in the cast."

"Does he still have a crush on you?"

"I hope not. His girlfriend's in the cast too. You see the girl in glasses over there?" Sharpay asked, nodding towards the front row of seats.

"The nerd?"

"Actually, she's a model. She's the one in those ads in the mall for the new shoe store."

"She's _that_ girl?" Chad demanded, giving the girl a second glance. "Why is she …?"

"She's playing Hero and I'm still not sure how I want her to look, we're trying some things out."

Chad shrugged and began walking in the direction of the bathroom.

"Oh!" Sharpay called. "And _someone_ broke the light in the sound booth." Jimmie flubbed his line at that, making Chad chuckle.

"On it," Chad called with a wave over his shoulder.

The leak in the bathroom was small and required a simple tightening of the fixture. That done he headed into the sound booth to clean up the broken glass and replace the light. When he had become Sharpay's handyman he wasn't sure and he still wasn't sure he liked it. Sharpay was still pushy and overbearing, especially when she insisted that he get some semblance of a life. But it was nice to have someone to talk to who didn't work for him and who wasn't family. And they'd fallen into a nice, non-dramatic friendship-like-acquaintance, which was more than he'd imagined when she'd popped back into his life all those months ago.

_Chad waited for the door to close before sighing and dropping his forehead to the desk. He was so sure they were going to get the Orion Project. Building the new office building downtown would have been a huge plus for Danforth Construction, which needed all the help it could get. Most of the workers he had left were only hanging on out of loyalty to Chad's father and most of those had known Chad when he was three and running around in a diaper and hardhat looking for two boards to nail together with his plastic hammer. But one of the men had just come in to tell him that they weren't likely to get the project. When Chad pressed the man he admitted that his son had just dumped the daughter of the Orion CEO._

_A whistle of approval brought Chad's head up. It was followed closely by an, "Oh yeah!" Before Chad had time to wonder what had his men so worked up the door swung open to reveal Sharpay Evans. Every cell in Chad's body froze. He hadn't seen Sharpay since he very abruptly left U of A. He slowly took in her appearance. She was wearing a grey skirt that could have been dubbed conservative if it had fallen a few inches lower, a matching grey business jacket, pink pumps, and a pink dress shirt, the collar of which came spilling out of the jacket in frilly waves. She closed the door firmly behind her before opening her mouth to speak._

_"What the hell are you doing here?" Chad demanded, jumping to his feet._

_She held up a hand and smiled. "Chad Danforth, it's good to see you. You've changed since the last time I saw you."_

_He slowly lowered himself back into his chair, giving in to his curiosity to know what insanity had brought her to his door._

_"I bought the Regal."_

_"That old theater downtown? The one the police are always raiding?"_

_"The very same. And I need someone to do the construction work."_

_"You're kidding."_

_"Nope," she said and he realized she was beaming the way she had been on prom night when she walked in on Zeke's arm. He had never seen her this happy before or since. "Will you do it? I want it to be someone I can trust."_

_He folded his arms. "How did you even know I was running the company?"_

_She frowned at him. "You built that new music room at Lava Springs, remember?"_

_He winced. "I didn't know you were there."_

_"I wasn't, but Emma was. She always thought you were cute."_

_Chad rolled his eyes. He had never been happier to be dating Taylor than when Sharpay's friend was around._

_"So?" Sharpay pressed. "Will you take the job?"_

_"I have to see your plans and the property and make an estimate, which you have to approve--"_

_She waved that last off and leaned over the desk. "Will you take the job?"_

_Chad sighed, thinking about the last time he'd seen her and all the things she knew that he didn't want their mutual friends to ever hear about. "High school was the last time we saw each other, right?"_

_She smiled sadly and nodded her agreement. "Right before I whisked Kelsi off to New York to make sure she had an acceptable wardrobe."_

_Chad chuckled. "I forgot about that. Ryan was not happy."_

_"He forgave me. It took three hats and seeing Kelsi in a little black dress, but he got over it. I'll meet you at the theater tomorrow at ten. You're gonna love it, I know you will!"_

He did not love it, at least not at first sight the way Sharpay did. But now … now he was really proud of what had been done here. As he looked out over the seats appreciatively he heard a muffled chime. Looking down he saw a faint glow coming from the recesses of Sharpay's purse. As he reached inside he told himself that it could be something important that she would need to know right away. The minute he saw the name flashing on the tiny screen, however, he dropped the phone as if it had bit him.

Taylor. He had almost answered a phone call from Taylor McKessie. Which meant that Sharpay was talking to Taylor. Obviously Sharpay was talking to Taylor. He knew that.

Chad looked down at the phone. It had gone to voice mail. It would be wrong to listen to the message. That fact did not stop his hand from reaching for the phone. A high pitched bark echoed through the theater, making him jump away from the phone and purse.

He sighed deeply, called himself a dozen different kinds of stupid, and hurried away from temptation.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

**Just Coming Of Age**

Chapter 3

The meeting wasn't boring, at least not as far as most of these meetings went, but every few minutes someone new would start droning on about sales projections or construction estimates and her eyes would find their way to the floor-to-ceiling windows showing off Albuquerque's buzzing business district. Past the sea of buildings Taylor could see the beginnings of the suburbs she'd grown up in and couldn't help but grow a bit nostalgic. Her boss's voice quickly pulled her back to reality and she forced herself to focus once more on the debate raging around her.

Mr. Drake Paulson had hired her as his personal assistant fresh out of college. They'd met at an alumni dinner she was running and he was impressed by her heavy schedule of school, charity work, and social life. Even though she'd planned on getting her master's in business he convinced her to forego that, promising that the experience she got under his wing would be invaluable and put her far ahead of any master's program graduates. And, it hadn't helped her decision when she found that he was moving his corporate headquarters to Albuquerque.

She had always been the girl determined to get out of her hometown and go make something of herself in the world. She'd had her goals laid out before her since freshman year at East High. But once she started at college, those goals changed. Business became her passion and law only a passing fancy. She still wanted to change the world, but she was coming at the battle from a different direction. And, she really wanted to go home. She hadn't had the money for trips home during her years at college, spending her summers working any jobs she could get and her holidays curled up in dorms and the meager apartment she could afford as a student. She'd never thought she would miss the place she grew up, but she supposed that was because it had always been there, once it was gone she was desperate to get back. And Mr. Paulson provided her the means to do that.

"We need to decide on this _today_, gentlemen," Mr. Paulson said, his firm hand hitting the table in aggravation. "Field, I sent you ahead to get the lay of the land, do you have any information that might sway this decision?"

Taylor quickly glanced at the screen at the head of the conference room. They were back on the construction of the new store. The debate had been going on for weeks, since long before they made the move down here. All Paulson's stores were done in similar styles, which should have made it easy for the architect they hired to build the new Albuquerque store. To date they had gone through three architects and Paulson was so annoyed that he'd forced their latest to sign a contract saying that if he didn't finish the job he would owe the company more money than he could hope to make in a year. Taylor knew the contract would never hold up in court if the man decided to back out, but with contracts as with Christmas presents, it was often the thought that counted.

"I'm afraid, sir," Field said, shuffling papers uselessly as if they would give him the answer he sought, "that I, um -- have been unable to gather any other useful data on the contractors."

Mr. Paulson's hand fisted on the table and Taylor, like most of the room's occupants, looked away. Drake Paulson was a fair and just boss, but this project had stretched his patience to the limit and a blow up was immanent. She found herself looking at the screen once more, studying the data that had been complied about each of the contractors vying for the job. She'd seen all of their names before, having grown up in the area, but one at the bottom of the list attracted her attention.

"Sir?" she said, stopping Paulson's tirade before it could start.

"Yes, Taylor?" he sighed, some of his anger going out of him. "Can you somehow save us all?"

He was teasing her. She had a knack for coming into a situation and finding the solution everyone had missed. It had gotten her a few enemies, but also won her the boss's undying gratitude, which she felt was a workable tradeoff.

"Well, I don't know about all the companies," she said, focusing her attention on Paulson to block out the feel of all eyes in the room on her, "but I know that you can trust Danforth Construction. They'll do the job well and always treat you fairly, no matter what."

"And how do you know that?" Taylor slowly shifted her gaze from Paulson to Trent Waters. He was her age and had gotten the job on his merits as the son of one of Paulson's investors. He was also one of the people who hated her for her natural business strengths and never passed up an opportunity to push her buttons. His sneer was muted now though, since the boss was sitting right there, but his blue eyes were like ice.

"I dated the owner's son in high school," Taylor said smoothly. "Mr. Danforth was always fair to everyone, especially in business. His bid may not be the lowest, but he is the one I'd trust above all the others."

"You say you dated the kid in high school," Trent said. "That was years ago, a lot could have changed. The business could have been sold, for all you know."

Taylor forced her expression to remain neutral. He was right. She had only spoken to Chad a handful of times since high school and all of those in her first year of college. The pang of regret that accompanied that realization was quickly pushed away as Taylor stood and marched to the alcove at the back of the room that hid the projector and computer from view. A few clicks later and she'd pulled up Danforth Construction's webpage.

There were few changes from their senior year when Jason Cross had offered to design the page as part of his final computer science project. For all of Jason's faults he was a wiz with electronics and Charles Danforth had even paid him for his troubles (though, Jason had appreciated the A more). The logo and color scheme (red and white, naturally) remained the same, but the images had been updated to show the company's more recent projects. Taylor had to bite her tongue from letting forth the shocked cry that welled up when she saw what they were currently working on. Instead she clicked on the image and was taken to a larger version with the words "Opening Spring 2014."

Trent didn't bother to hide his derisive snort. "If that's the kind of work they do, I doubt we want them working for us."

"This," Taylor said, "is The Regal. It was built over sixty years ago and for longer than I've been alive people have been lamenting its decent into disarray. I believe it was actually condemned several years ago. No doubt they're using the old image of the theater to keep people in suspense for what it will look like when they're done. If Danforth Construction is revitalizing this landmark, I'm sure they can handle us."

Trent fumed behind Mr. Paulson's back while he nodded slowly.

"All right, Danforth it is. Waters, you can take point on this. Draw up the contracts and get the work started. Now that that's figured out, I think it's time for lunch. I'll see you all back here in an hour."

Taylor followed Mr. Paulson out as the room emptied. Trent was already calling Danforth Construction and the smile he threw her way told her he was already planning some way to make trouble for her. She ignored him and walked into Mr. Paulson's office.

"What would you like?" she asked.

"A recommendation," he said, rifling through his desk. She walked over and lifted a folder, revealing his wallet. "Thank you," he said and shook his head at his own bad habits. "You know the area, what's good?"

"What are you in the mood for?" she asked, more for her own benefit than his. She hadn't often come to this area of the city unless she was spending the day with her parents, and needed the time to think of a good restaurant in his price range. She could easily name a dozen establishments that she adored from her high school days, but she doubted he'd appreciate the greasy fare.

Taylor smiled, thinking of the hot dog vendor that used to be on the corner by the bank. She'd never found better than those questionable franks, not even when she'd visited Ryan and Kelsi in New York.

"I suppose Italian would be a bad idea?" he asked, glancing at his suit.

She nodded. There was no way he'd come back unstained if he had Italian. "How about Vietnamese? There's a great place just around the corner and I know a lot of the businessmen like to eat there."

"Cute waitresses?" he asked, coming around the desk and heading for the door.

"The food's good too," she said.

"Great."

As he left Taylor flipped open her phone and dialed Sharpay's number. Danforth Construction had done a lot of work on Lava Springs ever since the Evans found out their son was friends with the owner's son. If anyone was likely to know whether Trent was right and the company had changed hands, it was an Evans. As it was, she would have called Ryan but he was probably working and she doubted Sharpay would mind getting a call, no matter what she was doing at the time. Plus, Sharpay had called several weeks ago to invite her to some show along with all the other wildcats. Taylor hadn't been able to attend, but from what she remembered the show should have been some time this month and she wanted to hear Sharpay's gossip about the others. There was no answer so she left a quick message and headed downstairs in search of some lunch.

* * *

Mr. Paulson didn't go to the Vietnamese place. He still wasn't used to the city and was quickly turned around in the lunchtime rush. He did find a questionable hotdog stand in front of a bank and quickly ordered one with the works, figuring that if his wardrobe suffered his employees would just have to deal with it. Oh a whim he asked the large, sweating man who owned the cart if the Regal was nearby. The man pointed the way and within minutes he was standing before the theater.

The public parking structure kept the street mostly free of parallel parkers, but he took note of a Danforth truck by the curb. A bright pink convertible was parked just ahead of it and Drake shook his head, wondering who would buy such a flashy car. Deciding this was a good opportunity to see how the men worked without anyone knowing who he was, he ducked inside the open door. Once through the foyer he realized that there was no construction crew in sight. The theater was done and performers were practicing on stage. Drake took in the theater itself, noting the craftsmanship on the arches, the decorative sculptures on the balconies, and the beautifully patterned ceiling.

"Can I help you?"

Drake whirled to see a woman about his own age sitting in the last row of seats. She was dressed in an outfit that he would have called eccentric a decade ago, but now found quite charming.

Deciding to be truthful, he said, "I knew that Danforth Construction was working on this place and wanted to see how they operated. I'm considering them for a big project."

"Really?" she asked, approaching him. "What sort of project? It wouldn't happen to be that new supercenter, would it?"

Drake smiled. "You recognized me."

The woman inclined her head. "Renee Darbus," she said, holding out her hand.

"_The_ Renee Darbus?" he asked.

"It depends on who you're thinking of," she said with a small smile.

"You used to perform on Broadway?"

"Oh, yes, that's me."

"I remember you. I saw _Oklahoma!_ when I was in college. It was the night you had to fill in as Ado Annie."

"That must have been the first night. My predecessor got chicken pox and had to sit out the rest of the run. Don't think you've distracted me with flattery though. You said you're considering hiring Danforth Construction."

"I am. And if what I see in here is any indication they're worth the extra money they'll cost. Not that I'm looking for all this, but I like the attention to detail."

Renee nodded. "You'd be very lucky to have them working for you."

"So I've been told." At her questioning look he explained, "My assistant. She apparently dated the owner's son."

An emotion Drake couldn't identify flashed over her face before it was quickly hidden. "Really?" she asked. "That is serendipitous. For you, I mean," she added quickly. "I suppose you'll want tickets?"

"Tickets?" Drake echoed.

"To the performance!" Renee declared, walking past him and making a grand gesture towards the stage where some boy was falling all over himself as he said his lines.

"Oh. What are they performing?"

"A modern rendition of _Much Ado About Nothing_. It's sure to be spectacular."

"Well, I've always loved the theater."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to come. We're sold out. The reopening of the Regal is a very big deal. The only tickets we have left are those reserved for friends and said friends' dates. You would have to know someone."

Drake smiled, he knew where this was going. "I think I do know someone," he said.

Renee looked at him sharply. "Oh, who?"

He was so surprised by her sudden change of attitude that he, a well-known businessman used to giving presentations in front of hundreds of people, stuttered. "W-well, a rather famous actress who I'd like to get to know better."

Renee smiled coyly. "Oh. Well, that's all well and good, but I was thinking perhaps you knew a certain former student of mine. One who used to date a construction worker's son?"

Drake's eyes widened. At first he was confused by the student comment but then quickly caught on to Renee's point. "You want to set Taylor up with her ex?"

Renee rolled her eyes in a pitying way. "You haven't done this whole meddling thing very often, have you?"

"The most I do is tell her she needs to get out more," Drake said with an apologetic shrug. "What did you mean your former student?"

"I teach at East High School. Taylor and Chad were in my class. They both appeared in several of our productions."

"Taylor? Acting?"

"And singing. And dancing. Trust me, it took quite a bit of work to get her there."

"Did this Chad character have anything to do with that?"

"In a way," Renee chuckled. "Each of them had a best friend who was leaning towards the theater and the two of them set aside their numerous differences to foil their plans. It backfired on them. Not only did the two of them join the theater as well, they ended up discovering a mutual attraction for one another." A dog's bark echoed through the theater and they both looked up to see a small dog on the stage staring at a man with curly hair in the other aisle. Renee held up a hand to keep Drake silent as the man hurried away. Once he was gone Renee sighed. "They were not unlike Benedict and Beatrice."

Drake smiled, but it faded quickly. "Are you sure it's a good idea getting them back together? I'm sure they had a good reason for breaking up."

"What eighteen year olds have a good reason for anything they do?"

"Good point."

"And you said yourself that Taylor needs to get out. Perhaps she doesn't because she hasn't put Chad behind her. At the very least forcing them to talk to each other will help them come to terms with their respective pasts."

Drake nodded. "All right, I'm in. What do you want me to do?"

* * *

_Every time you review an angel gets its wings. Okay, that's bunk, but it **does** make my Christmas a little bit merrier._


	4. Chapter 4

**Just Coming of Age**

Chapter 4

"I cannot believe you talked me into this," Taylor said, checking her appearance in her compact.

"You can't expect me to go alone to a play," Paulson said, glancing out the window of the town car. "And it's the hottest ticket in town. I was lucky to get seats."

Taylor frowned at him. How had he gotten seats? She was the one with the magic touch when it came to theater tickets and dinner reservations. She had no doubt that Paulson was capable of throwing his weight around if he had to, but he wasn't well known in Albuquerque yet. He was still the new guy. It had taken her influence with Mr. Fulton just to get him a tee time at Lava Springs, for Heaven's sake. There was no way the hottest tickets in town had just fallen into his lap.

Instead of pointing all this out Taylor said, "You're the one who's always saying I need to date, maybe you should take that advice yourself. Then you wouldn't need to bring your assistant to 'the hottest ticket in town.'"

Paulson just smiled as the town car pulled up to the front of the theater. He got out first and offered her his hand to help her over the curb in her high heels. She took it gratefully and looked around. Many other people were arriving just as they had, but most were coming from the parking structure across the way. She recognized many members of the former group from her days at Lava Springs and wondered if she'd see the Evans. It would be great to catch up with Sharpay and Ryan, and maybe even Kelsi.

"I'll go get the tickets," Paulson said.

"Oh, no," Taylor said quickly, "I'll do that."

"You will do no such thing. You're a guest tonight, not my assistant." He was gone before she could argue.

She sighed and ran a hand down the side of her knee-length dress, making sure it wasn't wrinkled.

"Taylor!"

"Gabriella!" Taylor gasped as her best friend ran up. She barely caught sight of Troy before she and Gabriella were hugging and laughing. "What are you doing here? I thought you two were in LA."

"We're here for the opening," Gabriella said as if it was obvious.

"You came all the way from Los Angeles for the reopening of the Regal?"

Troy and Gabriella exchanged a confused glance and Taylor knew she'd missed something. "Of course," Troy said.

Mr. Paulson returned then and Taylor quickly introduced him, wondering what was going on. Her concern melted away in the face of her friends' prideful expressions when she told them about her job. Troy and Gabriella led the way into the theater and the four of them ooed and ahed over the restored interior. The place glistened, the velvet of the seats a beautiful contrast to the shining golden color of the wood. The ushers were all busy and everyone else seemed more concerned with the building than with finding their seats so it took them several minutes of pushing through the crowd to find their places.

"I still can't believe we got seats so close together," Taylor said as they neared the stage but immediately realized how foolish that thought was. Troy was greeting Ryan and Jason while Gabriella had already begun talking to Martha and Kelsi.

Taylor grabbed Mr. Paulson's arm in a death grip. "How did you do this?" she asked.

He laughed, peeling her fingers away. "I didn't, I just followed orders."

"Wh--"

"Mine, Miss McKessie," Ms. Darbus said, in a tone of voice that was somehow both kind and disappointed that she hadn't figured it out for herself. Taylor turned and gave her former teacher the best smile she could manage at the moment, only to freeze in shock the next second.

"Chad," she breathed.

He was wearing a suit -- not the same one he'd worn to prom, she noted -- and had Ms. Darbus on his arm. His curls had been pulled back and he was looking at her with an expression that she knew was mirrored on her own face.

"Well," Ms. Darbus said, pulling her arm away from the shocked Chad, "Drake, I believe our seats are right here. Let's let the younger generation mingle, shall we?"

"Of course, Renee," Mr. Paulson said, and gallantly escorted Ms. Darbus down the row of seats.

"Renee?" Taylor and Chad echoed, watching them go. Their shock returned almost immediately and they faced each other once more. Taylor fidgeted with her clutch while Chad glanced awkwardly about at the building. They could hear their friends talking and laughing behind them and while both wanted to somehow escape to that safer world just a few feet away, neither knew quite how to do it.

Finally, Taylor forced out a laugh. "I wonder how this happened," she said, her smile inviting Chad to laugh with her.

"What?" Chad asked, clearly not understanding.

"This, all of us wildcats back together. Ms. D couldn't have afforded these tickets and Mr. Paulson only heard about the Regal a few weeks ago."

"Mr. Paulson?" Chad asked, some of the color draining from his face as his eyes darted over Taylor's shoulder.

"He's my boss," Taylor sighed. "He said he was forcing me to come because he couldn't find a date. I wondered how he got the tickets though. I would have thought this was sold out months ago."

"It was," Chad said slowly, "all our tickets were on hold."

Taylor frowned. "How do you know? Did Darbus tell you something?"

Chad stared at her for a moment before lifting his arms to encompass the room. "Ms. D and Sharpay own the Regal. They bought it last year. Sharpay invited the whole gang to opening night. She didn't tell you?"

"No," Taylor said slowly. "I mean, Sharpay called me about something a while ago but when she gave me the dates I thought the company would still be going through its transition and I didn't think I'd be able to come. She said she'd hold the tickets but --" Taylor glanced up at the ceiling. "I never thought it was this."

"I'll be right back," Chad said and his dark tone made Taylor look at him, but he was already rushing towards the exit doors at the sides of the room.

* * *

He couldn't believe this. He knew Sharpay was inviting all their old friends to the premiere, but he'd assumed she would tell him if Taylor was coming, give him a chance to get used to the idea instead of just springing it on him. He pushed his way backstage, dodging around moving scenery and actors preparing to go on. Sharpay was at the center of it all, calming the nervous, giving last minute instruction, and making sure that everything was in place before the curtain rose.

"Isn't it wonderful?" she asked when he finally reached her. She was quickly sewing a ripped seam on Jimmie's costume. Chad was momentarily impressed, he didn't know Sharpay could sew.

Not to be deterred from his ire he asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" she asked, distracted as she tied off the string.

"That Taylor was coming."

Sharpay stilled for a moment, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. "Oh!" she exclaimed, letting Jimmie go. "So that's what Ms. D's been planning. I knew she was scheming something, but I had no idea it was this."

Her excited smile only deepened his frown. "How is this a good thing? It's bad enough that I have to see all of them again, but Taylor is never going to let this go. If I'm evasive with her she'll just keep hounding me until --"

Sharpay's finger poking his chest cut him off. "Now you listen here, Danforth. I've put up with your crap for years but _no more_. Those are your friends out there, your best friends at one time, and you need to start thinking about them. How do you think Troy feels, having his best friend since the sandbox just fall out of his life? And how do you think he will feel when he finds out why? I can promise you he's not going to think, 'poor Chad, how hard all this must have been for him.' He'll be wondering where he went wrong that you didn't think he could be counted on in the most difficult time of your life."

Chad opened his mouth to argue but Sharpay wasn't done yet.

"And I know your life has been hard, but that's no excuse. Everyone's life is hard, Chad, it's how we deal with the hard times that shows us how strong we are. And you dealt with the hard times by being a jerk to your friends."

"Did you take a philosophy class in college or something?" Chad asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

"No, I stole it from Ms. D, but it's still true. Now you get out there and watch the show with our friends. I can't make you tell them everything but you at least owe them this one -- Zeke!" Sharpay pushed past Chad to embrace both Zeke and the bouquet of pink roses he'd brought her. "They're beautiful!"

Chad politely looked away as the kissing began and excused himself, returning to his seat with only a few moments to spare before the show began. That was barely enough time for him to say quick hellos to Troy and the others. He stayed well away from Taylor until the lights started going down and he was forced to take his seat next to her. He didn't doubt for a second that Ms. D had put them next to each other on purpose.

As much as he wanted to focus on Sharpay's first real production, he couldn't. With Taylor next to him there was no way he could think of anything else. They hadn't spoken in years. They were both too practical to go through with an ultimately doomed long-term relationship. Just like all the wildcats they'd tried keeping in touch, but it was too hard to pretend at being friends and eventually they both just gave up.

When Chad cut himself off after his father's accident he'd been thankful that he and Taylor were no longer talking. If they had been there was no way she would have let him get away with something like that. She would have been at his door within the week, demanding to know what was wrong with him.

What she would do now, he had no idea. Did she know that he'd cut himself off from the others or was he an unapproachable topic around her the way she was with him? The look on her face when she'd seen him told him that she hadn't been expecting him and from the little he'd heard before she turned around it was clear she hadn't been expecting any of the others either. Hopefully she'd be too focused on the situation as a whole to worry too much about him. He wasn't sure he could handle her full powers of deduction right now. Especially while she was wearing that dress. It was a shade of purple that he'd always thought looked good on her, though with the way it hugged her curves it could have been baby poop green and she'd still look good.

Chad tried once more to focus on the play. It wouldn't do him any good to start mooning over Taylor now. Even if he was suddenly in a position where he could date, he and Taylor weren't happening. Taylor was always destined for great things -- and if she wasn't, destiny be damned, she'd claw her way to the top without fate's help. The two of them had drifted too far apart in the years since high school. It would never work between them now.

* * *

Taylor clapped as emphatically as everyone else when the cast came out for their final bows. It had been a spectacular show and Sharpay had outdone herself. She'd been a bit surprised when Kelsi told her that Sharpay owned the theater and had directed. It wasn't that Sharpay couldn't, it was more that she didn't think Sharpay would. She'd always craved the spotlight and Taylor wouldn't have thought she would give it up for a behind-the-scenes role. Clearly, Sharpay had grown since high school.

So had Chad, Taylor couldn't help but think. She'd avoided him at intermission, needlessly braving the line to the ladies' room just to keep away from him, but that didn't mean she was blind. He looked good in his tux. Better than she would have thought. She'd never considered him muscular, and he certainly wasn't bursting at the seams, but every move he made was graceful in a way that left any onlookers certain he was well-built.

He was hot. There was no other word for it. In the years since high school he'd grown -- not much since the big years were behind him -- but just enough. What that meant she wasn't sure, but the moment the thought entered her mind she knew it was true. He was just tall enough.

The curtain closed for the final time and the applause died down. People began heading for the exits and Taylor desperately wanted to join them. As glad as she was for the chance to talk to Gabby and the others, there was no way she was getting set up with her high school boyfriend. Unfortunately she was sandwiched between Gabriella and Chad, not to mention, Mr. Paulson and Ms. Darbus were sitting once more, blocking the way past Chad and forcing the both of them to stay with the others.

Chad met her eyes for a moment and she knew he could see the trepidation there. He quickly leaned over the seats in front of them so he could more easily see the others.

"Ryan!" he called over the sound of several hundred shuffling feet and voices talking about the show. "Where are your parents?"

Rather than try to be heard Ryan pointed up. When everyone looked the Evans waved from their box.

The rows around them were emptying quickly and Troy clapped his hands once to gain everyone's attention before they went back to their own conversations. "So, what are we up to now?"

"Dinner!" Gabriella said immediately.

"Denny's!" Jason added and was met with laughter.

After long days at Lava Springs the group had often stopped at the Denny's situated helpfully just before the freeway entrance. Once they got on the freeway they'd all gone different directions and it had been nice in those days -- especially when Fulton was still following Sharpay's orders to drive them crazy -- to have a non-work place to unwind before going home. They'd even driven far out of their way after prom to eat an early breakfast at that same Denny's for old time's sake.

Taylor glanced at Chad to see if he was as uncomfortable with Jason's idea as she was, but he was talking to Ms. Darbus while Mr. Paulson listened intently. Part of her was immediately angry. What was he saying to _her_ boss? She was just about to butt into the conversation when Gabriella touched her arm, drawing her attention away from whatever Chad was doing.

"I'm sorry," Gabby said quietly, her eyes darting quickly to Chad. "I thought you weren't coming and if you were --"

"I would have known he was too," Taylor finished kindly. That her best friend still knew her so well was enough to take the edge off her mood. "It's okay. My boss got me to come here by claiming he couldn't get a date. I now see that he and Ms. D were in this together."

Gabby laughed. "Don't worry, we're not going to force the two of you together. We're more concerned with finding out just what's up with him."

Taylor frowned, suddenly wishing she hadn't been so willing to accept that none of her friends mentioned Chad around her. "What do you mean?"

Before Gabriella could answer Troy hugged her from behind. "Chad!" he called. Taylor refused to turn even though she could feel him standing mere inches behind her. "We're going to the old Denny's. Ryan says it's still there. No arguments!" he added sternly.

"I brought Darbus," Chad practically growled.

"Oh, don't worry about me," Ms. Darbus said in a sing-song voice. "Mr. Paulson has kindly offered to escort me home."

Taylor whirled, ignoring the fact that she was now nearly chest to chest with Chad Danforth.

"You have fun with your friends," Mr. Paulson said before Taylor could think of anything to say. "I'm sure one of them would be kind enough to get you home. Perhaps this nice young man."

When he turned his back and followed Ms. Darbus out, Taylor rolled her eyes at the obvious matchmaking. Chad had gone stiff and she quickly saved them both.

"I'll call a cab," she said. "I'm sure to be out of your way." There was no way for her to be sure of that but she didn't care.

"Nonsense," Gabby said tugging her towards the other end of the aisle, "we'll take you. Now come on, everyone's leaving."

Taylor glanced back at Chad while she was dragged along and was at once happy and sad to see that he was following.

There was no way he could handle eating with the others. They'd want to catch up on each other's lives and after what Sharpay had said he knew he couldn't tell them. Even if he wanted to tonight wasn't the time to bring them down with his belated news. Not to mention, seeing Taylor again had been enough of a shock that his nerves were shot, he wasn't nearly brave enough to do it now.

"Listen," he said as they escaped the crowd in the theater lobby and clustered on the sidewalk outside, "I have an early day tomorrow, you guys have fun without me."

His pronouncement was met with a chorus of disappointed exclamations from his friends, Taylor's not among them he noted. Not quite able to shake the sense of chivalry his parents had instilled in him he said, "I'm sorry I can't take you home -- unless you want to go now?"

"No," she said quickly, "I'll catch a ride with Troy and Gabby. Thanks though."

He didn't make the long goodbyes he wanted to but instead gave the group a nod and turned away. He could feel them watching him and picked up his pace in response.

"Hey!" Sharpay snapped, pulling him into the shelter of one of the building's many arches as he passed. "Where are you going?"

"Home," he said.

She let out annoyed groan and dropped her head back.

"What's going on?" Zeke asked from behind her.

"Chad's running away from the gang," Sharpay said.

"Shar!" Chad snapped.

"Why would you be running away from them?" Zeke asked.

Chad shoved his hands in his pockets and looked pointedly away.

"It's a secret," Sharpay said, "he's afraid of being pitied."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. You're afraid that if you tell them they're going to pity you and try to help you out of obligation, when in reality they'll help you out of friendship. He's just being stupid," she added, angling her head back to Zeke.

Zeke rested a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, man. Whatever happened, we're still your friends."

"I know," Chad said, "but you don't --"

"Did you kill someone?"

"What?"

"Did you cheat on your SATs? Break any sort of law?"

"Well … no."

"Then you're in the clear. Though, I'm pretty sure we would have stood by you for those other things. Maybe not the killing or some of the worse crimes out there but --"

"Zeke?" Sharpay asked.

"Yeah?"

"I think he gets it."

"Oh."

Sharpay smiled. "Just think about it, okay? They all still love you. You can tell from the sad puppy-dog looks they had when you walked away. And they'd _want_ to know what happened, not just for you, but for him too."

"Shar?" Chad asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to the cast party." She grabbed Zeke's tie and dragged him around the back of the theater to the cast and crew parking.

Chad couldn't help but chuckle. At least Sharpay and Zeke looked like they were getting back together, that should ease some of Ms. D's matchmaking bug. He followed behind the two, glad that he'd parked in the back instead of in the public lot. This way he wouldn't run the risk of meeting any of the others on the way to his car.

As he drove home he wondered over Sharpay's words. She was right. His dad had always been close to the other wildcats and their fathers. The transition into college had ended that relationship but it could have been salvaged with time if things had gone differently. His friends deserved to know what had happened. He would have to tell the others. Of course, most of them had probably come only for the reopening and would be going back to who knows where soon. It would be wrong to break this kind of news over the phone, especially since he owned them each an apology, and with that new contract from Paulson Stores breaking ground next week he couldn't exactly take time off to follow them -- not that he had the money for that anyway. It was hard enough keeping the business afloat and paying his dad's doctor bills. But he promised himself that the next time he saw one of his old friends he would find a way to tell them. They deserved that at least.

* * *

Even without Chad, Sharpay, and Zeke the late/early breakfast at Denny's was as fun as it had ever been. They were all having fun catching up and talking about old times.

"And then," Troy was saying, "Fulton comes in carrying a bucket of paint in each hand. It only took us a few seconds to realize that we'd spent all afternoon painting the yoga room the wrong color. We had to wait until the next day to fix it though. Fulton was furious. If this had happened before the talent show, he would have used it as an excuse to fire all of us."

"Not you," Ryan pointed out, "Sharpay was very adamant that you stay."

The girls giggled at that while Troy rolled his eyes.

"Fulton was nothing," Jason said, "don't you remember Chad? He could escape that Emma chick when he was working in the kitchen but if she knew he was working anywhere else she'd find some reason to hang around."

Taylor bit her lip as her friends laughed. She didn't so much remember Emma as she remembered hating Emma. The girl hadn't tried to hide that she had eyes for Chad and, while Sharpay's scheming had become the focus of the summer, Taylor was always acutely aware of the other girl's attempts to steal her boyfriend.

She shook herself quickly. She could feel old jealousy twisting in her gut and pushed it away. That was years ago and, even if Emma was still interested in Chad, she was welcome to him. Taylor had no claim. And anyway, there was something else on her mind.

"So, is anyone going to tell me what's going on with Chad?" she asked.

That put a damper on the mood. As everyone silently argued over who would talk to her she saw Martha ask, "Who told her?" only to be met with shrugs.

"Well, Gabby did say that you were all concerned about him."

"Oh, I did," Gabriella said quietly with a wince.

"But then when he left everyone just sort of accepted him leaving, it was kind of a give away."

"We don't know what happened," Troy said, eyes on his scrambled eggs. "He just … drifted away. We stopped talking and by the time any of us thought to bring it up with each other, it had been over a year."

"That's it?" Taylor asked.

"We tried," Kelsi said. "Everyone tried to call him, but he would never answer."

"We even dropped by his house once," Martha said with a glance at Jason, "but his family had moved."

"What about your dad?" Taylor asked, looking to Troy. "He must know something."

Troy shook his head. "If he does, he's not talking. Tonight was the first time I've had any contact with Chad in nearly four years. The last time I saw him was spring break of freshman year and he didn't even take the time to say hello to me tonight."

After a few moody seconds the waitress came by to ask if they'd have anything else and a discussion about dessert was begun. Taylor stayed out of it, knowing she didn't want anything sweet this late. Whatever happened to Chad, she wanted to know about it. Even if they weren't together anymore she still cared about him and she wanted to be sure that he was all right. She would get to the bottom of his, no matter what.

* * *

_Review!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Just Coming Of Age**

Chapter 5

Getting a visitor pass at East High was harder than Taylor had thought but once Principal Matsui had seen her she'd gotten in easily enough. She didn't tell him she was there to confront one of his teachers in an environment where they couldn't run away, but had let him jump to his own conclusion that she was there to reminisce. He only asked that she stay out of the way of the classes and that she stop by the tutoring center on her way out to update them on the developments in her life -- they liked keeping up with the former tutors so that their current students had something to strive for.

The campus hadn't changed much since Taylor graduated. A fire took out the science labs a few years after she left and they'd gotten their own building near the north lawn, while the old science labs were torn out to make room for a new south lawn. It wasn't a big change but it was enough to confuse her for a few seconds, eventually though she made it to the theater. After the confusion of the missing science wing the theater was a welcome familiarity. Nothing seemed to have changed, except that the piano, always present during all but dress rehearsals before, was missing from the stage.

Taylor took a seat in the back row to watch. A class was in session, most of the students lounging in the first few rows, watching a rough scene acted out on stage. Ms. Darbus was watching from the wings, occasionally jumping in with advice for the students. They weren't great, but they were still pulling off _Our Town _quite nicely. Taylor kept her eyes on Darbus. She wasn't really sure the woman would know anything, but she was out of other options. She'd spent all weekend in the public library, pouring over the newspaper records for anything on Chad Danforth. The last mention of him she could find was a report on U of A's last game of her freshman year. The writer had praised Chad's skills, saying that if he brought the same game for the next three years then U of A would be unstoppable. But there hadn't been a next three years. When Chad's name was nowhere to be found she searched the team roster and found him missing there too. She and Chad hadn't discussed college much, knowing it would be the thing that ended their relationship, but from their few conversations she'd assumed Chad needed his basketball scholarship. But he hadn't lost that, he was a big enough star on the team that if he'd suffered some sort of injury there would have been a news report. Whatever had happened, it had been enough to take him out of school.

"Hey."

Taylor gasped at Sharpay's voice at her shoulder. "What are you doing here?" she asked, one hand on her chest as her heart slowed.

Sharpay lounged in the row before her before answering. "I earned some college credit helping out here and decided to keep it up whenever I could. It's really fun."

"I thought you only did that to get back at Tiara."

"That was just a perk," Sharpay said with a sly smile. "Even when I wasn't torturing her I still had loads of fun with the other kids. And," she said with what Taylor would have called a wistful sigh if it had come from anyone else, "it really is rewarding work."

"Isn't it tough to do this and run the theater?"

"Sometimes, but at the end of the day this is just a volunteer job. Plus, Darbus knows I have to keep things going there. Speaking of commitments, shouldn't you be at work?"

Most people would have been intimidated by Sharpay's question, but Taylor knew her better than that. "No, my boss gave me the morning off." That wasn't quite true, she had the morning free to run miscellaneous errands that needed doing before the groundbreaking that afternoon. She'd finished with most of them and was certain she had enough time to spare to talk with Darbus. A week ago she'd planned on spending any free time today keeping an eye on Trent, but her priorities had shifted since the reopening of the Regal.

"Was he the guy who Darbus left the theater with the other night?"

"Yeah, Drake Paulson. He took her home."

"Oh, that's just fabulous."

Taylor frowned, at the time she'd been too caught up in her own personal drama to think much of Paulson and Darbus but experience had taught her that anything Sharpay thought was "fabulous" probably wasn't.

Before she could ask just what was so fabulous about it, Sharpay continued. "But, back to the topic at hand. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to ask Darbus about Chad. He said he drove her to the opening, I figured she might know something about what happened to him after high school."

Though Sharpay's eyes stayed locked on Taylor's, her expression became carefully blank. She definitely knew something.

Taylor was momentarily annoyed that Sharpay would know more about Chad than she did, but quickly pushed the emotion away. She was here as a concerned friend, nothing more. Instead she focused on why Sharpay would know anything. Granted, she was the only one of their group during high school who had stayed in Albuquerque after graduation, but it had never occurred to her that Sharpay and Chad attending the same university would bring them closer.

"I don't know if Ms. D would know anything," Sharpay said, a laugh in her tone. "I don't think Chad's really hung out with her after graduation -- or before, really."

"You know," Taylor said, ignoring her.

"Know what?" Sharpay asked.

"Don't play me, Evans, I've seen you act, remember? I know what it looks like. Out with it. What happened to Chad?"

Sharpay let out a long sigh. "You'll have to ask him. Not that he'll tell you," she added, frowning.

"Come on, you love gossip, especially when you're telling it to someone who really _shouldn't_ hear it. Give in to your evil side, Sharpay, you know you want to."

Sharpay's expression was somehow both flattered and affronted. "I can't, really. I promised him a long time ago that I wasn't going to tell. The only reason I even told Darbus was because she used her villain face on me."

"Her what?"

"Her villain face. The one she uses whenever she's playing someone evil. It's really scary."

Taylor quickly decided that anything that could scare Sharpay was something she didn't want to see. Instead she decided to ask Sharpay where she could find Chad. She wasn't going to talk to him unless she had to, but if she didn't think of any other leads soon, she would have to. Before she could ask though, her cell phone went off.

As she fumbled with her purse Ms. Darbus' voice echoed over the seats. "Miss McKessie! I thought I was free of this when you graduated! Out!"

It was Trent calling to tell her that the Channel 5 News had called to say that the post-groundbreaking interview would need to be moved back half an hour, along with instructions on what Mr. Paulson should avoid wearing to appear best in the studio. Taylor wanted to throttle him. She'd called Channel 5 days ago about that interview and specifically told them to call back on her cell. The only time since then that she hadn't been able to take a call was when she was at the Regal and her phone was off. She suspected that they'd called the office when she didn't answer and Trent had somehow intercepted the message. He'd been angry ever since finding out that Mr. Paulson was taking her to the hottest show in town and she had no doubt that holding onto the message until the last second was his way of getting revenge.

She left the school without another thought and rushed to her car. The tie she'd chosen for Mr. Paulson to wear to the groundbreaking was perfect for the outdoor photographs, but the color was on the Channel 5 list of don'ts. She didn't know how it would clash with their studio but she wasn't about to take any chances. Not only did she now have to run to his apartment to choose a new tie for him that would look good both at the groundbreaking and in the studio -- there were enough people annoyed with the new store as it was, she didn't need people nitpicking that he'd changed ties in the middle of the day -- but she had to rearrange his schedule for the evening now that the interview had been moved back.

It took her nearly an hour to fix things to her satisfaction and she barely made it to the groundbreaking as a result. She got Mr. Paulson into the correct tie before any of the reporters saw him and, as he made his way into the limelight, she sagged against the side of a news van.

There was really no point in her watching the groundbreaking so she let her eyes wander. A small crowd of protestors was outside the site's gate. Some people in the community were annoyed at the presence of the new megastore. Taylor might have agreed with them, but she knew enough about the politics and finances of these sorts of things to recognize that this site was destined to either be a megastore or a strip mall. The park that the protesters thought should go here just wasn't an option.

Robust laughter drew Taylor's attention to the end of the line of news vans. Construction workers, eager to do their job, were standing around, laughing and joking while the pomp and circumstance went on a few dozen yards away. It occurred to Taylor suddenly that Chad's father would be there. He might let someone else oversee the day to day work at the site, but today was a big deal for Danforth Construction and he wouldn't miss it. He would probably be with Paulson and the mayor, not to give a speech, but just to represent one of the businesses already being helped by this project.

Taylor stood on her tiptoes to see over the crowd of reporters and cameras. When she caught sight of a curly head of hair she nearly lost her footing in shock. What was Chad doing here?

The public relations expert in her knew that it wasn't to put a younger face on the business. No one wanted young in their construction workers (except perhaps rich wives eager for something to ogle), they wanted dependable experience and a guy fresh out of college wouldn't give that impression. She wondered for a moment if he was a stand in. Perhaps something had come up to delay Mr. Danforth and Chad was stepping in. But that theory fell to pieces quickly. Chad was too well-composed to be doing this as a last minute favor.

The groundbreaking finished up while she was still mulling over the possibilities. She needed to touch base with Mr. Paulson, let him know about the changes in his schedule, but she really wanted answers. Before she could think better of it she hurried over to the construction workers.

"Excuse me," she asked, "can one of you tell me where I could find Mr. Danforth?"

"Sure," one of the men said, "he's over there, talking to the mayor."

"Thanks," Taylor said. Charles Danforth hadn't suddenly appeared on the scene, it was Chad talking to the mayor. It was possible, she thought as she rushed to Mr. Paulson's car, that Chad was working for his father, getting ready to take over the family business one day, and that the workers were used to having them both be in charge. But Taylor knew Chad's father, the man had a work ethic that even she admired. He would have made Chad start at the bottom, just like he had, and work his way up slowly until he was ready to take the reins of the company.

A cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. This mystery was getting more complicated and she was almost certain she wouldn't like the answers she found.

* * *

_AN: I'm sick, but reviews will make me feel better. Don't you want me to feel better?_


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